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The Brotherhood Without Banners is a George RR Martin fan group. Our primary mission is to bring together fans of GRRM's writing for fun and discussion. Oh, and parties. Membership is open to everyone who is a fan of GRRM, even those who aren't especially into his latest series, A Song of Ice and Fire. That said, ASOIAF is a major focus of our interest, a theme reflected in the title of our group.

What is the Brotherhood Without Banners in the books?

The BwB is a collection of outlaw knights, squires and various other warriors, led by Beric Dondarrion. (Those who fight for a lord, under the lord's banner, are said to be "bannermen.")

How did this BwB get started?

Long ago (mists-of-time long ago), Lodengarl the Three-Fisted decided that it would be great to get a bunch of online friends and fans of ASOIAF together at PhilCon 2001 (that was the 2001 WorldCon) for a party. In the middle of the night, GRRM and the squires embarked on a quest for Pat's cheesesteak. The late-night cheesesteak chasers were knighted, and a tradition was founded.

Where do I interact with the BwB?

We are most easily found on the discussion forums at Westeros. There is a dedicated subforum for the BWB here. We also have an official presence at every WorldCon, and an unofficial presence at some of the regional conventions. One can usually find a smattering of us at World Fantasy every year as well.

WorldCon 2012, which will be held in Chicago, Illinois, USA August 29-September 3, 2012. Here's a link to the ChiCon 2012 website.

WorldCon 2013, which will be held in San Antonio, Texas, USA August 29 - September 2, 2013. Here's a link to the Lonestarcon 2013 website.

Do I need a con membership to attend the party?

Yes. In the past, security has checked con badges and booted freeloaders. Plus, it's good manners. This is a fan-run event, not a corporate convention like San Diego ComiCon, and every dollar goes to running the convention, making it the best event it can be.

What about HBO Game of Thrones fans?

We welcome them too, both on the boards and in real life. That said, if you're the kind of person who doesn't want to be spoiled for things that happen in Season 2 or 3 (one season = one book; book 5 will be published in July), then you might want to be mindful of how you interact with us, as we're prone to cracking jokes about events that happen in all of the books thus far published. The only part of the Westeros forums that will be totally safe for you to read are threads marked "NO SPOILERS" in the HBO subforum, located here, called General (GoT). The next easiest thing is to just read the books, which will obviate spoiler avoidance altogether.

Who runs the BwB now?

After many years of successful reign, Lodengarl chose Stego to carry the BwB torch. Stego steered us for many years until last spring, when he asked Xray to take over. Xray is helped by a group of seasoned BwB congoers to keep things running efficiently.

The BwB as an organization might be different from other fan groups you've encountered, in that we're an inclusive group that does not demand monetary dues to join. If you like GRRM's writing, you're in. That said, we have a defined structure and we have a committee of seasoned con-going fans who help Xray run the BwB and make decisions on behalf of the BwB. We organize official parties at certain conventions, most notably the World Science Fiction convention, and we occasionally have BwB-sponsored charity drives. We are not, however, a general social event coordinator. If you want to have an unofficial BwB meet-up at a bar, that's awesome. But we're not going to organize it for you. Further, BwB events are paid for by donations from the members organizing or attending the event, with occasional supplements from tip jars or raffles.

This grassroots ethos is at the heart of fandom, and has grown out of the grassroots SF conventions (fan-funded and volunteer-run) like WorldCon. Parris McBride, GRRM's wife and BearMother of the BwB, has instilled us with the values that have guided fandom for many decades, and we follow them proudly. If you want something to happen, you have to put forth some effort to make it happen. If you would like to know more about how the BwB is run, how we organize official events, or would like to volunteer to help us run those events, contact us. Nobody on the BwB steering committee is there because of his or her charm or good looks (OK, except for maybe Stego). We're there because we demonstrated a willingness and aptitude to organize parties, clean up afterwards, make budgets that keep us financially solvent, run security, fetch ice, etc. We welcome anyone who wants to help and to learn from us how to make a con party successful.

Who runs this joint?

Xray

Who helps Stego run this joint?

Fenryng

LugaJetBoyGirl

Yagathai

Regina

Stego

Mr. X

Aoife

Lodengarl

Mormont, European Steward

Ser Stubby, Australian Castellan and Wrangler of Wombats

Can I host my own BwB event?

The quick answer: Ask Xray.

The longer answer: Those who aren't familiar with SF/F fandom might not know that reputation within the community is very important. Groups who end up with a bad rep can find themselves unwelcome at events like WorldCon, which is something we certainly don't want. So, when it comes to official BwB events, we're pretty strict about who gets to run one and what those events might be. That said, if you want to organize a pub-crawl with other BwB members, we generally don't care, so long as you're not representing it as an official BwB event to outsiders.

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If a person signed up years ago, is that person still signed up. As a BWB member, I mean.

Yes. Anyways, signing up isn't really necessary. If you like GRRM and you want to hang out, you're part of the group. Although there is an official distinction between Westeros.org and the Brotherhood Without Banners, if you're on this board you're basically a BwB member by default.

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Info about parties and meeting up will be posted in this forum as we get closer to WorldCon. There are a two threads that usually get launched a week or so before (in addition to other con-related threads):

1 - The party info/volunteer/donation thread with info about what kinds of room we have, what nights we have it for, what sort of donation we are asking from BWB members, and what sort of things we need people to do to help make the party happen (set-up, tear-down, trash patrol, greeting, security, etc.)

2 - The contact info thread, where once in a while people (*cough*Stego*cough*) will post cell phone numbers for all the internet to see, but more often people will either post ideas for meeting up or offer contact info to anyone who PMs them.

There will likely be a BWB meet and greet panel as part of the program, so if you haven't found anyone by then, that's a good place to check.

And once the con starts, people will be posting to this forum about what they've been up to and will frequently include info about things like group dinner plans and the location of the BWB hangout/meetup spot (like the big blue bear in Denver or the "weirwood" in Reno).

ETA: You can also keep an eye out for "BLAME POD" t-shirts. Or people wearing BWB pins.

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Ah.... so hopefully there will be free wi-fi everywhere in the hotel. Okay I'll be keeping an eye out for news. By the way, I can furnish some small prizes for drawings or games or whatever and would enjoy helping with the events. I don't have a display table so I'm not tied down. Tom

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The only (more or less) guaranteed way I know is to come meet up with the BWB at WorldCon, as that's where a lot of pin-making and distribution takes place. Last I checked, Kat, maker of pins, is on the attendee list.

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Ah.... so hopefully there will be free wi-fi everywhere in the hotel. Okay I'll be keeping an eye out for news. By the way, I can furnish some small prizes for drawings or games or whatever and would enjoy helping with the events. I don't have a display table so I'm not tied down. Tom

Wifi is free pretty much everywhere but guest rooms...

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Yes. Anyways, signing up isn't really necessary. If you like GRRM and you want to hang out, you're part of the group. Although there is an official distinction between Westeros.org and the Brotherhood Without Banners, if you're on this board you're basically a BwB member by default.

This was my first Worldcon and I've been a member on the board for about year. I didn't get plugged into things for the Friday party, but when I showed up at the open party on Saturday night I was welcomed in.

When I asked how I become a member of BWB, I was told "you're on the board and you're here...you already are!". Very cool!

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The only (more or less) guaranteed way I know is to come meet up with the BWB at WorldCon, as that's where a lot of pin-making and distribution takes place. Last I checked, Kat, maker of pins, is on the attendee list.